Puzzle toy



' 1,599301 R. B. STURGEON PUZZLE TOY Filed May 1925 3mm .Q9Zz0" em WW awe y I wwudum Gumup Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

' RICHARD-B. 'S'IURGEON, or BURLINGTON, Iowa.

jrUzzLE TOY.

7 Application filed May 3,

- The invention relates to a toy comprising, two blocks pivoted together, a cord passed through passages of said blocks and capable of sliding in either direction and a'pair of abutting cord inserts. in the inner sidesof said blocks which give the appearance that the cord has been severed by passage of a knife blade between the blocks, said blocks being swingable apart to disclose said insert. Regardless of the fact that afperson v unfamiliar with the device receives the im block to the other.

pression that the cord has been cut, the user may swing. the blocks back together so that the observer can again pull the cord in one direction or the other and cannot by observing the inserts, determine that they are not actually parts of thiscord.

A device of the general character above set forth is old and well known, but the construction is such that if the'blocks are rotated one or more revolutions with respect to each other, they will pinch and injure the portion of the cord passing from one block to another, even if they do not entirely out said cord in two. It is the object in the present invention, however, to provide a distinct improvement over the old construction, whereby instead of being injured by exces si-ve rotation of one block or the other, the cord will merely wrap around the pivot which connects the two blocks.

With the foregoing inview, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawing. 7 V

.Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View showing the cord passing properly from one Figure 2 is a similar view partly in elevation but illustrating the manner in which ro tation of one of the blocks with respect to the other, will merely wrap the cord around the pivot, instead of injuring' said cord.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 3 designates two blocks which are preferably of rectangular form, said entirely surround and enclose the central I like.

to each other.

71926. Serial No. 106,440.

portion of the pivot 4. Leading longitudinally of the blocks 3, from the recesses 5,

are two passages 6, whoseouter endsare.

plugged as at 7 and two lateral passages 8 extend from said passages 6 to the outer sides of said blocks. In line with these passages 8, two cordinserts 9 are provided with their inner ends exposed at. the. contacting surfaces of the blocks3, and a cord 10 is passed through said passages 8, through the longitudinal passages 6, and

through the recesses 5. I Between the inserts 9 and the pivot't the inner sides of the blocks are jointly recessed to provide an opening I of a knife-blade or the 11 for the insertion In using the device, it is held before. an observer with theblocks 3 closed with respect to each other and he is shown that the cordcan be pulled in either direction. A. knife blade or the like is then inserted in the opening 11 and pulled outwardly as if severingthis cord. hen the blocks 3 are nowswung apart, about the pivot 4, the observer sees the inserts 9 and obtains'the impression' that the cord 10 has actually been severed. The blocks then are again closed and he is shown that the cord 10 may still be pulled'in one direction or the other.

Itioften happens that children or others i thepivot 4, instead of being'injured by contact with the edgesof the blocks, as in the 4 old structure to which I havepreviously referred. A good showing of this old structure is given-in U. S. Patent 47552 of May 2, 1865, in which it will be's'een that the I transverse cord passage through which the cord passes from one block to'the other, is

off-center with regard to the 'pivot and does merely wrap about the central portion of not entirely surround such pivot, so that pinching and injuring the cord must necessarily take place if the blocks are rotated beyond a predetermined extent with respect the latter having registering recesses ennsf tirely surrounding and enclosing the central portlon of sald pivot having longitudinal passages leading from said recesses, and

having lateral passages from said longitudh 3 nal passages tothe outer sides ofthe blocks, and a cord passing through said passages and through said registering recesses, the

latter being of a size to allow Winding of the cord around said central portion of the pivot if the two blocks are rotated in a man- 10 ner to cause such winding-Q In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

RICHARD I STURGEON. 

